PDS Grad and Trenton Native Named to Forbes 30 under 30 List

Johnson, who lives in New York and left Princeton University after three years to work on one of his start ups, is a Trenton native and is the son of Isles, Inc. founder Marty Johnson.

The 28-year-old is the co-founder of 2U, a company that is a pioneer in offering for-credit graduate level classes online. Master’s degrees can be earned online from partner schools like the University of Southern California and Georgetown.

Johnson co-founded the company with Princeton Review founder John Katzman and former Hooked on Phonics CEO Chip Paucek. They have raised $96 million in venture capital so far and recently announced that they also will be offering undergraduate courses through a consortium of top-tier universities including Duke, Northwestern and Vanderbilt universities.

The company develops technology platforms that give universities the ability to deliver traditional offline curricula in an online learning environment. Instructional designers work with faculty to translate classroom courses into online experiences, and provides the support infrastructure and the logistical components of partners’ online programs.